Fresno State Athletics
Silicon Valley Football Classic Recap
12/4/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 31, 2000
Score By Quarters Air Force 19 15 3 0 - 37 Fresno State 7 0 13 14 - 34
Scoring AF - Adams 37 FG, 11:02 AF - McKay 29 pass from Thiessen (Adams kick), 10:21 AF - Adams 46 FG, 3:06 AF - McKay 13 pass from Thiessen (run failed) FS - Gaines 71 pass from Carr (Asparuhov kick), 0:23 AF - Thiessen 1 run (Adams kick), 13:46 AF - Thiessen 9 run (Jessop pass from Thiessen), 1:06 FS - Greco 2 pass from Carr (Asparuhov kick), 10:34 AF - Adams 24 FG, 5:34 FS - Burch 8 pass from Carr (pass failed), 1:55 FS - Berrian 47 pass from Carr (Asparuhov kick), 9:58 FS - Berrian 51 pass from Carr (Asparuhov kick), 6:26
SAN JOSE, Calif. - After being down 34-7 at halftime, many thought the Bulldogs would be in for a route, but Fresno State responded only to come up 33 yards short with 14 seconds remaining as Air Force defeated Fresno State 37-34 in the inaugural bowl game at Spartan Stadium.David Carr threw five touchdown passes for the Bulldogs, who nearly pulled it off. With 14 seconds left, Fresno State brought in Asen Asparuhov for a 33-yard field-goal attempt to tie it.
But holder Jason Simpson pulled a fake, aiming for Giachino Chiaramonte in the end zone. The pass fell incomplete.
Trailing 19-0 late in the first quarter, Fresno State finally got on the board with a 71-yard touchdown pass from Carr to Paris Gaines with 23 second left in the opening quarter. It was the longest reception of Gaines' career.
Carr completed 22 of 33 passes for 391 yards.
Thiessen's pass to Chris Jessop gave Air Force a 34-7 lead in the first half.
Fresno State mounted a comeback in the second half. The Bulldogs took a chance on fourth-and-2 in the third quarter and Carr's completion to Alec Greco in the end zone made it 34-14.
After Dave Adams booted his 24-yard field goal for Air Force, Carr threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Donnell Burch to narrow the margin to 37-20.
Adams attempted a 30-yard field goal with 10:47 left in the game, but Fresno State's Terence Brown blocked the kick. That set up a scoring drive that ended with Carr's 47-yard pass to Bernard Berrian.
Berrian caught a 51-yard pass from Carr a little more than three minutes later, and the crowd - mostly Fresno State fans - went wild.
